


The Great Escapist (Rewritten work from myself)

by SleepyRosey



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 17:03:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20312974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepyRosey/pseuds/SleepyRosey
Summary: The apprentice had to get the murderer of Countess Nadia to justice. They always ended up at the rowdy raven following the suspect, though he would always slip away. Now they're caught up in having a fun night and completely forget their duties due to the handsome Doctor Julian Devorak! (This is an edited version of my own story that I had used my own OC in. Now I changed all the pronouns to neutral and refer to the reader as "The apprentice" :) )





	The Great Escapist (Rewritten work from myself)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The great escapist](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18550609) by [SleepyRosey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepyRosey/pseuds/SleepyRosey). 

> So, since I enjoy reader inserts myself, I went and edited one of my own stories I published with my oc apprentice in, but now you're able to use your own apprentice/oc if you'd like :)

The bustling of the rowdy ravens’ patrons could be heard in the background, though their focus was only on the man at the bar.

Julian Devorak.

The man wanted by the countess for the murder of her late husband. He was strikingly handsome and stood out like a sore thumb with his dark choice of clothing, so how he hadn’t been caught yet was a surprise. They had followed him to this place multiple times and always sat at the back in the shadows. Sure, Devorak wasn’t an idiot so they was sure he knew they always sat there. It had become almost a ritual every time they even set one foot out the palace gates;

See Julian, follow him and of course end up watching over the rim of their cup in the back, covered by a grey hood to blend in. Always observing how his half-lidded eye complimented his sly grin so perfect, and when he spoke guys and girls alike would stare at him here and there, while chuckling and giggling at every joke, whether they were even sitting near him. He was indeed the center of attention and while he never gave it away, he loved it, yet he was also a private man. He was a hard puzzle to figure out.

At the end of his stay he’d make sure to start a party and leave in the midst of the chaos, while the apprentice would have no way to see him escape. They wasn’t meant to find out where else he would spend his time.

_Why didn’t they just sit next to him? _

No way, they had seen how the countess had been towards her guards, dressing them up and having them hide from a little apprentice. And if they was seen with the supposed murderer of her husband, who knows how she would react?

Like many other nights they watched as Julian made a B-line towards the little band and asked for a song. They could already feel the air shift to slightly more upbeat and tense as the musicians took their places. The apprentice had decided this was the last night Julian got away from them and they wanted their answers _tonight_.

As they stood and made way to the forming circle in the middle, they suddenly felt the hairs rise on their neck as a certain voice called out.

“Finally out of that sulking corner? I must say you shouldn’t hide in such a dark place with those beautiful features of yours.”

The apprentice pulled at the top of their hood and wanted to walk to the other side, though a gloved hand gripped their wrist with surprising delicacy. They swiftly came face to face with doctor Devorak himself, who tried and failed to hide his flushed face by turning to the side, as if to avoid their strong gaze on him, even though they had been staring at him almost the whole time he had resided at the bar desk.

"I'd like to keep my dignity, thank you. If the countess were told I'd been conversing with the suspect…Well, you get the jist hopefully."

"Observant and careful as always. But why not let our roles in this life slide for just a moment? And you surely have noticed the crows going wild when guards are near."

True, a curious crow always seemed to warn the doctor at the most convenient of moments, before the place gets barged with royal guards. Devoraks confidents comes and goes but now he is staring with great interest, and the apprentice feels they can't even shake their head "_no_". Julian finds this to be a test and slowly strings the apprentice along closer to the center of the Rowdy Raven, finding satisfaction when their ears turn rosy and walks willingly, soon standing with all eyes on them. _The center of attention as always_.

The music slowly starts with a small tune of a flute, soon accompanied by strings and drums. Julian lifts the hand he'd gripped so gently and turns so they face each other, perhaps a little too close for strangers.

The beat picks up, while Julian swings the apprentice around faster and faster, their feet matching perfectly and never touching the wooded floor for long before a new step. It had been a while since the apprentice had danced, only with Asra once in the shop when he'd come back from a trip with exciting stories. Though now they felt a new kind of excitement.

Not being able to stop the smile and the apple cheeks with it, the apprentice felt how the blood in their body turned their whole face red. The music had seemed to be louder and clearer, only stopping when they were pulled close to Julian, hearing his quickly beating heart, and then gracefully spun outwards again.

The apprentice didn't notice but suddenly they were on a table with the crows around them. Laughter, clapping, music, it all filled their head, but not one more the man they were dancing with. He was the only thing clear thing in that moment. Julian's puffy white shirt stuck lightly with sweat, along with his hair, to his skin. The grey eyes showed nothing but a happy man, which was rare for someone like Julian, as Asra had said; loved his own self-loathing.

_Perhaps I'll let my role slide just for tonight, Doctor_, the apprentice thought.

Julian had enough of the small space on the table, jumped down and without second thought took hold of the apprentice's hips to bring them down. A small moment was shared when their feet was back on the ground, and looked into those pale orbs that grew just a little bigger in shock and embarrassment. Now it would be their turn to drag the Doctor back to the floor in a spin, as they wrapped the flustered man's arms around themselves till they stood with their back against his chest.

Around them men and women had started to dance slower and closer amongst the bar, as the music had taken on a lighter tone to set the mood. Julian's other arm steadily found it's place around the apprentice, feeling their heart beat matching his own. And it was not calm.

Thoughts raced in his head, for he had only been able to dream of something like this. Surely he had an interest in the apprentice, but the clever apprentice was right; if they were seen together, nothing but trouble would come their way. Julian would just have to save this moment in his memories. How they radiated so much heat from their dance, how they clutched themselves to his arms, almost pulling him even closer if possible and how they seemed to fit together like perfect puzzle pieces…

When the music stopped, the apprentice and Doctor pulled apart with a sigh unheard by the other.

"Well, thank you for the dance Doctor…"

"My pleasure apprentice…"

They placed their hood over their head once more, "I should get back before sunrise." "Ah, of course, safe journeys to you," Julian sheepishly stepped a little to the side, granted access to the exit further away. Casting their eyes in the floor and walking past Julian, they felt that gloved hand again. Turning around they saw it raised to his lips as he placed a feathery kiss on their knuckles. Both of their faces could put a fresh tomato to shame, the apprentice at a loss for words.

"…Perha- _Ahem_ \- Perhaps we could repeat this evening another time?" They nodded their head, and watched the Doctor's eyes replace doubt and shame with happiness. "Splendid," he straightened to his full height again, and placed a hand at the apprentrice's back, "well you should get going before trouble comes for you." He led them to the exit and sent them off into the dawn.

Just like the dance his heart felt like it would beat right out of his chest, unknowing to the fact that the apprentice felt the exact same way.


End file.
